Ellen Kauschke

Black fungus gnats (Diptera: Sciaridae) found in association with cultivated plants and mushrooms in Australia, with notes on cosmopolitan pest species and biosecurity interceptions

Male sciarids collected in Australia from inside post-entry quarantine and domestic greenhouses and from vegetable gardens and various plants, were slide mounted and identified. Specimens intercepted during on-arrival biosecurity inspections of imported nursery stock plants were also examined, and the New South Wales Department of Primary Industries collection of slide-mounted Sciaridae was reviewed. Plant and mushroom pest species that are present in Australia are Bradysia impatiens (Johannsen), B. ocellaris (Comstock), Lycoriella agraria (Felt), L. ingenua (Dufour) = Sciara womersleyi Séguy, 1940 syn. n., L. sativae (Johannsen) = Sciara auberti Séguy, 1940 syn. n., Sciara jeanneli Séguy, 1940 syn. n., Sciara solispina Hardy, 1956 syn. n., and Cosmosciara hartii (Johannsen, 1912) comb. n. = Plastosciara perniciosa Edwards, 1922 syn. n. The last species is a new record for Australia. Bradysia tilicola (Loew) and Pnyxia scabiei (Hopkins) are potential pest species, but they have not been reported yet from Australia. An identification key to enable separation of the pest species is provided. Species with uncertain connections to plant and mushroom cultures are B. pallipes (Fabricius), B. strenua (Winnertz, 1867) = B. watsoni Colless, 1962 syn. n., Corynoptera concinna (Winnertz), (all three species are new records for the Australian mainland) and Hyperlasion aliens Mohrig (a new record for Tasmania). Bradysia spatitergum (Hardy) and Scatopsciara atomaria (Zetterstedt) were intercepted during the on-arrival biosecurity inspections of live plants imported from China and Canada respectively. Both species are widespread overseas but are not known to occur in Australia.

Austrosciara Schmitz & Mjöberg, 1924, a senior synonym of Ctenosciara Tuomikoski, 1960 (Diptera: Sciaridae) and the description of a new brachypterous species in the genus

Three species of wing-reduced Sciaridae, obtained from pitfall trap material collected from Nothofagus forests in Victoria, Australia, were examined. The females, which were all very similar, do not belong to any of the wing-reduced sciarid genera known to us so far. They instead appear to be females of the genus Austrosciara Schmitz & Mjöberg, 1924, according to the original description and illustration, and one of the species appears to be conspecific with Austrosciara termitophila Schmitz & Mjöberg. The shape of the male hypopygium, as well as the tibial organ of this species in both sexes show typical features of species previously classified as Ctenosciara Tuomikoski, 1960. The genus Ctenosciara Tuomikoski, 1960 n. syn. has therefore to be considered a junior synonym of Austrosciara Schmitz & Mjöberg. A further species described as Austrosciara pedibusa sp. n., based on female specimens, is typically characterized by a deep sensory pit on the basal segment of the palpus. The female of a third species, listed as Austrosciara sp., is illustrated as well.

New Black Fungus Gnats (Diptera, Sciaridae) of North America. Part III. Genera Camptochaeta Hippa & Vilkamaa, Claustropyga Hippa, Vilkamaa & Mohrig and Dichopygina Vilkamaa, Hippa & Komarova

Seven species of the genus Camptochaeta, two of the genus Claustropyga and one of the genus Dichopygina are newly described from the Nearctic region. These are: Camptochaeta abnormalis sp. n., Cam. camptochaetosa sp. n., Cam. grimaldii sp. n., Cam. multispina sp. n., Cam. praexystica sp. n., Cam. subxystica sp. n., Cam. unispina sp. n., Claustropyga postbrevichaeta sp. n., Cl. subbrevichaeta sp. n. and Dichopygina praeaculeata sp. n. All new species are diagnosed and their distribution data are given. Three species, Camptochaeta duplicata Hippa & Vilkamaa, 1994, Claustropyga abblanda (Freeman, 1983) and Cl. sajanica (Mohrig & Antonova, 1978) are reported for the Nearctic region for the first time. With these new species, Camptochaeta includes 30 species, Claustropyga 15 species and Dichopygina 6 species in the Nearctic region now.

Pseudolycoriella skusei sp. nov. (Diptera: Sciaridae), a new dark-winged fungus gnat from Norfolk Island and Australia.

The genus Pseudolycoriella Menzel & Mohrig, 1998 is distributed worldwide and especially species rich within the southern hemisphere. Within the Australasian region it is known from New Zealand (Mohrig & Jaschhof 1999; 5 species), New Caledonia (Köhler & Menzel 2013; 14 species) and Papua-New Guinea (Mohrig 2013; 22 species). Here we report the first records of the genus from Norfolk Island and Australia.

New Black Fungus Gnats (Diptera, Sciaridae) of North America. Part II. Genus Bradysiopsis Tuomikoski, 1960

The genus Bradysiopsis Tuomikoski is new for the sciarid fauna of North America. It includes 6 species. Four of them are new for science. These are Bradysiopsis postvittigera sp. n., Br. praevittata sp. n., Br. praevittigera sp. n. and Br. subvittigera sp. n.. Two species, Br. vittata (Meigen, 1830) and Br. vittigera (Zetterstedt, 1851), are distributed in the Holarctic but new for North America. In this paper species are described, illustrated by figures and a key for classification as well as distribution data are given.

Revision of the types of male Sciaridae (Diptera) described from Australia by F.A.A. Skuse

A total of 27 male sciarid types described by Skuse (1888 and 1890), held in the Australian National Insect Collection, Canberra, and the Australian Museum, Sydney, were remounted and examined microscopically. Of these, 25 species were described as Sciara Meigen, one as Zygoneura Meigen and one as Trichosia Winnertz. Revision of these species revealed the following: 13 species belong to the genus Bradysia Winnertz (B. amabilis, B. conjuncta, B. crassicornis, B. exsequialis, B. frequens, B. froggatti, B. luctifica, B. maesta, B. mastersi, B. ornatula, B. pernitida, B. pictipes, B. unica), 1 species to the genus Corynoptera Winnertz (C. minutela), 4 species to the genus Austrosciara Schmitz & Mjöberg (Aus. infrequens, Aus. montivaga, Aus. spectabilis, Aus. winnertzi), 2 species to the genus Pseudolycoriella Menzel & Mohrig (Psl. cavatica, Psl. ignobilis), 1 species to the genus Pseudozygomma Mohrig (Pseudoz. maculipennis), 1 species to the genus Sciara Meigen (Sc. tryoni), and 1 species to the genus Scythropochroa Enderlein (Scyth. macleayi). In total 26 species were new combinations. Eight species names were declared as new synonyms: Bradysia pictipes (Skuse, 1888) = Sciara notata Skuse, 1888 syn. n. and = Bradysia seticornis Vilkamaa, Hippa & Mohrig, 2012 (from New Caledonia) syn. n.; Bradysia conjuncta (Skuse, 1890) = Sciara serenipennis Skuse, 1890 syn. n.; Pseudolycoriella cavatica (Skuse, 1888) = Sciara familiaris Skuse, 1888 syn. n. and = Sciara festiva Skuse, 1888 syn. n.; Bradysia luctifica (Skuse, 1888) = Bradysia planistylata Vilkamaa, Hippa & Mohrig, 2012 syn. n.; Sciara tryoni Skuse, 1890 = Sciara insulana Vilkamaa, Hippa & Mohrig, 2015 syn. n. (both species are from New Caledonia); Austrosciara winnertzi (Skuse, 1888) = Sciara rufulenta Edwards, 1927 syn. n. (from New Zealand). Lectotype specimens were designated for 17 species in order to fix the names.